Cannas and callas and cinnamon rolls: Garden Club plant sale Saturday

One of the community's most celebrated events heralding the spring planting season is almost ready to "bloom."

The 24th Annual Ukiah Garden Club Spring Plant Sale is being held this Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Garden Club member Cheryl Godon wants to remind attendees that the sale is being held at the Redwood Valley home of Nona and Dewey Carpenter and not at the Garden Club's Clay Street site.

Master Gardener Nona Carpenter and her husband, Dewey, are busy readying their home for the influx of springtime shoppers. For more than 20 years, the Carpenters have hosted the sale, the proceeds of which help to fund two Mendocino College scholarships.

This year, like every other, garden club members and friends have been bringing vegetables, ornamental plants and trees to the Carpenter home. Hundreds of plants will be on sale at bargain prices, all cultivated locally and suited for the inland Mendocino climate. "These are plants that grow well in our area gardens. They are locally grown cultivars," notes Carpenter.

Proceeds from the sale help to fund a scholarship for two deserving Mendocino College horticultural students who are selected by Jim Xerogeanes, assistant professor of horticulture at the college. "You never know. A thousand dollars can really make a difference for a student struggling to stay in school," says Carpenter.

Every year, garden club volunteers seem to widen the variety and increase the number of plants available for sale. The sale is famous for offering low-cost, healthy plants, including Japanese Maples that came originally from seedlings collected by Sandy Spencer. More than 100 members of the Garden Club are providing this year's plants and vegetable starts.

Another plant Godon is excited about is the Maximillian Sunflower. "These grow to about eight to ten feet tall, with hundreds of small flowers. They're beautiful, but they do have to be supported because of their height and the number of blooms," Godon explains.

In addition, Carpenter is awaiting a pickup load delivery of tomato, pepper and other vegetable starts that will be ready for planting.

But the highlight of the sale is arguably Carpenter's fresh baked cinnamon rolls, which have become a reason in their own right to make the trip to Redwood Valley. Coffee and tea will also be available.

Despite the success of the sale and the large numbers of shoppers, the club never seems to run out of plants, and Carpenter assures Sunday shoppers that there will be plenty to choose from. "If we did run out of plants, we'd just take a shovel and dig up more," she laughs.

The sale is held rain or shine at 9400 West Road in Redwood Valley. Shoppers arrive early, and Carpenter cautions people to park carefully on West Road. "We usually can't even see how far the line of cars go," Carpenter smiles.

The Garden Club holds an afternoon and evening meeting each month. The afternoon meeting is held on the second Wednesday at 12:30 at the Ukiah Garden Club, 1203 W. Clay St. Evening meetings are the third Monday at 7.